Bicycle toy which can be either manually operated or remote controlled by means of a wire control or by radio control

ABSTRACT

A model of two wheel vehicle with aligned wheels, the latter being rendered more heavy with respect to the other parts of the vehicle, while maintaining unaltered the shape relationship, provided with means for hauling (or pushing) and for its guide. An articulated puppet can be connected to the pedals and to the handle bar in order to imitate the movements of a cyclist. In case the toy is operated by a motor, the equilibrium changes required for the drive in curve are originated by the displacement of said puppet or other ballast.

United States Paten 11 1 1111 3,826,038 Gentilini 1' July 30, 1974 [5 BICYCLE TOY WHICH CAN BE EITHER 3,546,814 12/1970 Melendez 46/244 B 3,699,708 10/1972 Mabuchi 46/244 B MANUALLY OPERATED. OR REMOTE CONTROLLED BY MEANS OF A WIRE CONTROL OR BY- RADIO CONTROL [76] inventor: Augusto Gentilini, Via dei Mille 36,

Rome, Italy [22] Filed: Dec. 13, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 314,903

[52] US. Cl. 46/96 [51] Int. Cl A63] 23/10 [58] Field of Search 46/210, 211, 244 B, 96

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,698,497 l/l955 Muller 46/211 2,699,011 l/l955 Sedgwick 46/210 3,043,052 7/l962 Stanzel 46/210 Primary Examiner-Antonio F. Guida Assistant ExaminerJ. Q. Lever Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ladas, Parry, Von Gehr, Goldsmith 8L Deschamps [57] ABSTRACT A model of two wheel vehicle with aligned wheels, the latter being rendered more heavy with respect to the other parts of the vehicle, while maintaining unaltered the shape relationship, provided with means for hauling (or pushing) and for its guide. An articulated puppet can be connected to the pedals and to the handle bar in order to imitate the movements of a cyclist. In case the toy is operated by a motor, the equilibrium changes required for the drive in curve are originated by the displacement of said puppet or other ballast.

7 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures 1 BICYCLE TOY WHICH CAN BE EITHER MANUALLY OPERATED OR REMOTE CONTROLLED BY MEANS OF A WIRE CONTROL OR BY RADIO CONTROL The purpose of the present invention is that of embodying a toy, which can be manufactured on large scale, and the manual operation of which, easy to belearned and almost instinctive, can be improved by operation, imparting thus to the game a competitive character, suitable to increase its diffusion.

The toy according to this invention consists of a model in reduced scale of either a cycle, or a motor cycle or a motor sccoter, or other vehicle, in equilibrium on two aligned wheels, provided with means for ensuring said equilibrium (under conditions different from the true vehicle) and means for guiding the toy.

The equilibrium of the vehicle is ensured according to this invention by rendering heavy the wheels with respect to the other parts of the vehicle, although maintaining unaltered the shape relationship.

The invention is diagrammatically shown in the attached sheet of drawing, where the FIGS. I and 2 show how the flexibility of the frame will be utilized also for locking the removable pins;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the pivot of the fork;

FIG. 4 shows the adjusting of said fork;

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are the rear, lateral and front views, respectively of the toy;

FIG. 8 shows the articulated puppet, which can be power operated if the case may be, as provided for being mounted on the toy;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are two front elevational views with two different positions of the movable ballast; and

FIG. 11 is a lateral view of the ballast;

FIG. 12 shows two ways for applying a compensating weight for the handle bar; and

FIG. 13 shows how are articulated two little wheels which can be raised in the motor cycle radio-controlled version.

The toy according to this invention consists essentially of the frame 1, made of plastic, metal or other material, with its front fork 3 pivoted with particular contrivance as hereinafter described, the wheels 2 being made of a relatively light-weight and transparent material, with their outer circumference rendered heavy by increasing its thickness, if the case may be, also by an incorporated metal rim, and moreover by the weight of the tires 5, so as to render easy the equilibrium by an inertial and gyroscopic effect.

In order to characterize the toy and to add either an element for children, or a humoristic or polemic or advertising element, the application is provided of an articulated puppet 7, which can be fixed to the bicycle saddle 9, with its hands and feet which can be hooked to the pedals 10 and to the bicycle handle bar 11, with easily articulated joints slidable so as to be capable of being moved by the pedals or by the handle bar, the pedals being operated by a little belt 13 (or the like) and the handle bar moving according to the path. The puppet can be made of plastic, of flexible light weight rubber, it can be inflated and so on. The toy can be manually operated by hauling it by means of a string 16, in curve or along a rectilinear path, inclining it or not, and leaving it to continue its movement at moments by inertia by the slackened string. Said string 16 2 is fixed to the upper part 18 of-the frame 1 (FIG. 6) or about the neck of the puppet 7 (FIG. 8).

The toy can be pushed, instead of being hauled, by means of a slight rod with a hook (not shown in the figures) or also by a flexible shaft or articulated connection 20 by means of a rod 21 directly on the handle bar 11 (FIG. 6). If the toy will be operated by a motor, for instance an electric motor, said motor could be concealed inside the puppet, and it could operate, by means of a roller 22 acting on the tire, the rear wheel, like in the motor cycle shown in FIG. 13, the battery and the control members being held by the operator and connected by a flexible shaft, serving also for steering purposes. If the toy, preferably of greater dimensions, will be radio-controlled, it can move under the control of lateral displacements of a ballast 23 (FIGS. 9, 10, 11) or of the puppet 7, and for convenience it can be also provided with a pair of auxiliary wheels 25 (FIG. 13) destined to support the toy when slowly moving or stationary, said auxiliary wheels, which are normally lowered, being raised during the quick movement.

The pivot unit of the front fork 3 shows (FIG. 3) according to the present invention certain particular features, mainly as a particular sensitivity is required, together with a strength against the collisions and compensation of the possible deformations. Furthermore, the pivot pin 45 for the front wheel instead of being located forward with respect to the extension 28 of the axis of the handle bar 27, like in a true bicycle, must coincide therewith, and moreover it is necessary to balance, by means of the counterweights 31 and 32, the forward displacement of the center of gravity of the handle bar-fork unit, due to the position and shape of the modern handle bar for races, unless the rearward shape will be adopted, like in FIG. 6.

The pivot unit consists of a little pipe 33 with a through bore 35 partially occupied by the pin 36 which can be fixed at half length of the bore itself. The double hook 38 will be introduced into the bore 35 at both ends, moving in both directions the pivot pin 36 which will be then fixed. The maximum sensitiveness will be obtained with a slight clearance, as the ends of the pivot pin 36 and of the double hook 38 are rounded. In turn, the double hook 38 is fixed to the upper extension 4 of the fork 3 so as to be capable of being adjusted both transversely and longitudinally in order to obtain a perfect centering, as required for the equilibrium. The pipe 33 is held adherent to its mounting 34 of the frame 1 by rubber elastics 40, or by springs and the like, fixed to the projecting members 44 of the frame 1, said elastics while holding the pipe 33, and therefore the pivot unit-fork-wheel-handle bar group at its precise positioning, leave said group free to move and to escape from the mounting 34 in case of collision, avoiding thus the possible damages.

The driving belt 13, replacing the chain of the bicycle, must be easily replaceable and for this purpose the right hand side of the rear fork 46 (FIG. 5) must be capable of being spaced apart for few millimeters, as allowed by the elasticity of the material, when the rear winged pin will be removed.

A contructional detail according to this invention resides in the fixing system for the spindles of the wheels in the front fork 3 and in the rear fork 46, i.e., by the use of moulds forming said forks with parallel legs, with holes for the spindles located by pairs on alignment with one another (FIG. 1). When the parts will be assembled, as the two halves of the forks must be somewhat spaced apart (FIG. 2), said two halves of the forks will have their holes no more aligned, while the insertion of the pins 45 tends to force the holes towards their alignment, so that said insertion locks the forks legs and the pins in their selected positions, while allowing always the assembling and the disassembling; and this result is rendered easy by the particular form of the spindles which are bent and moulded so as to resemble the wing nuts used for an easy replacement of the wheels in the cyclistic races.

I claim:

1. A toy bicycle having a frame member, a rear wheel mounted for rotation on said frame member, a front wheel in alignment with said rear wheel, a wheel carrying fork member supported at or towards one end in an articulated mounting member on said frame member and rotatably carrying said front wheel between the fork member, counterweight means coupled with said articulated mounting member for adjusting the balance of the toy in the event of impact shocks, means for maintaining said bicycle balanced on said wheels during movement, said balancing means being facilitated by rotation of said wheels, and means for manually moving said toy bicycle.

2. A toy bicycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein pedals and a handle bar are carried by said frame member and wherein an articulated puppet is connected to the pedals and to the handle bar in order to imitatethe movements of a cyclist.

3. A toy bicycle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the frame member is made of elastic and resistant material, in order to resist against collisions and also for allowing the reversible locking of spindles for the wheels by the forced deformation of said wheel carrying fork member which has mating spindle accommodating holes therein.

4. A toy bicycle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pedals are rotatable by a small belt imitating a chain, said belt being emplaced by spreading said deformable fork member.

5. A toy bicycle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the spindles for the wheels are shaped so as to imitate the shape of wing nuts used for the change of the wheels.

6. A toy bicycle as claimed in claim 3, wherein said articulated mounting member for the front fork member consists of a pipe with a through bore partly occupied by a pin having a length less than that of the bore, a double hook engaged at both ends of the pipe and held centered by fixing the pin, said double hook being fixed to said one end of said fork member.

7. A my bicycle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pipe of the articulated mounting is resiliently held with respect to the frame. 

1. A toy bicycle having a frame member, a rear wheel mounted for rotation on said frame member, a front wheel in alignment with said rear wheel, a wheel carrying fork member supported at or towards one end in an articulated mounting member on said frame member and rotatably carrying said front wheel between the fork member, counterweight means coupled with said articulated mounting member for adjusting the balance of the toy in the event of impact shocks, means for maintaining said bicycle balanced on said wheels during movement, said balancing means being facilitated by rotation of said wheels, and means for manually moving said toy bicycle.
 2. A toy bicycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein pedals and a handle bar are carried by said frame member and wherein an articulated puppet is connected to the pedals and to the handle bar in order to imitate the movements of a cyclist.
 3. A toy bicycle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the frame member is made of elastic and resistant material, in order to resist against collisions and also for allowing the reversible locking of spindles for the wheels by the forced deformation of said wheel carrying fork member which has mating spindle accommodating holes therein.
 4. A toy bicycle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pedals are rotatable by a small belt imitating a chain, said belt being emplaced by spreading said deformable fork member.
 5. A toy bicycle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the spindles for the wheels are shaped so as to imitate the shape of wing nuts used for the change of the wheels.
 6. A toy bicycle as claimed in claim 3, wherein said articulated mounting member for the front fork member consists of a pipe with a through bore partly occupied by a pin having a length less than that of the bore, a double hook engaged at both ends of the pipe and held centered by fixing the pin, said double hook being fixed to said one end of said fork member.
 7. A toy bicycle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pipe of the articulated mounting is resiliently held with respect to the frame. 